Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-10-20


does not succeed viii join with you"
Julia saw Roger and said:
"Roger, are you determined to break my
heart? love you so much, Roger No one
can ever love you half as we'll 0 Roger,
DO not cast me off like this"
He looked at her pityingly, but passed in
silence on toward Lucien's room.
"Roger, listen. One last word If you
force me, l shall hate you, and you will have
everything to fear from my hatred"
Roger, saddened and grieved, retired with
out one word Eight days later Julia, her
eyes flaming, said to Matthias zuber: 81 give
you full liberty; revenge us bothl"
lie went TO work first with Larouette, whom
ho knew, and it was through his advice that
Larouette refused delay to Roger, and tho
same night Luversan, or Matthias Zuber,
vent TO Larouette's house to rob him. Zuber
knew that he resembled Roger, and thought
if in tho day mistake in their persons might
be made in the night it would be still easier,
50 lie copied Rogers clothes, trusting to that
to make the resemblance complete. He had
not intended TO kill Larouette, but during the
old mans resistance his hat fell of, and so, not
TO be accused by the old man, who called his
name, lie had lost his GOODNESS and shot him
dead.
On the night of this murder Roger, a prey
TO the most violent emotion, foreseeing moth
ing but ruin before him, felt as if he could
not bear to see his wife, whose father had left
aim a prosperous business, which he had i'm
periled by his desire to grow rich faster than
the older man would have considered safe,
and, though Henrietta was gentle and loving,
with such cause for reproach might she not
reproach him, and with justice? She was not
strong, and the privations his bankruptcy
would force upon her would be keenly felt,
and Suzanne, his beautiful little girl, v. here
would be the means TO rear her and educate
her according to her rare intelligence He
could not face them while still under this I'M
certainty. At least let them have one more
night of repose. So he wandered here and
there in the woods near his house. Following
a narrow bride path he wandered blindly
on, not knowing or caring where he went.
He threw himself upon the ground, and the
more he tried to think of way out of his
troubles the deeper they seemed, until at last
his heated brain could sec no other way to es-
cape her merited reproach and tho sorrow
and disgrace of bankruptcy but by suicide,
and filled with that idea he rose and stag
gercd aleng down to the edge of the river,
where he stumbled and fell, MS Iis.
tol, which he held in his hand,
going Off by accident. His hat
rolled down, and to stop it he put his foot
upon it, and then as he gathered it up, all
bent and dented, he laughed, as though the
accident had happened to another and he had
seen it. The laugh, or tho fall, or the pistol
shot, had taken tho desire for suicide, for the
moment, from his mind, and he said to him
self: Roger, be man. This is cowardly;n
and he went directly home, and the rest we
know. as Regards what passed in that home
When, the next morning, still a prey to
anxiety, Larouettes murder was not yet
known, he went direct to his apartment in
Rue Malesherbes. In that little apartment,
their winter residence, there were a few
valuable works of art, and Roger thought of
selling them to assist him out of his difficulties
He was arranging this plan when the con-
cierge came up with letter and package,
which he said a beautiful lady had left there
for him few minutes ago.
One glance at the fine and delicate writing
showed him from whence it came, and the
letter bore the same perfume he knew so well.
He made an angry movement, yet opened
the letter, which read:
"One who knows of your trouble, and whom
you saved at another time, wishes to aid you
now i'll paying you back. You viii find in
the package 100000 francs. This is that
persons revenge"
With a trembling hand he broke the seal of
the package, and he found he was not dream
ing; the money was there. II was thus nobly
Julia revenged herself Roger, in spite of the
Joy at his deliverance, felt his fault weigh
still more heavily on his heart.
He burned the letter and put the money in
his pocket and FASTENED to his shops, where he
gave the money to bis cashier, and then with
his heart lightened of the heaviest part of its
load he tried anew to obtain the $1,000 more
that were necessary for his next days obliga-
tions. But nowhere did he succeed. 1t seemed
to him that an evil breath had spread abroad
the report that he was about to fail. So, as a
last resource, when night fell, he went to the
club
There one player seemed to set himself dill
gently to work to play against him. He did
not know him, yet there was a faint idea in
his mind that he had seen him somewhere,
but he soon forgot that in the excitement of
play The only other thing that attracted
his attention was that his friend the Baron
De Cey, entering the room, came up behind
Luversan, for it was he, and tapped him on
the shoulder, saying: "You, my dear
Rogers" But Luversan turned and the baron
saw his mistake and begged Luversans par
don, saying he had mistaken him for NJ
Laroque.
''You are quite excusable, sir. have been
taken for him before"
Roger won, and as soon as lie saw that he
had gained what he so needed, resolved not to
risk one franc of it, and he retired from the
game and took the train for home and it was
this night that his wife had heard him singh
And the next morning be was arrested.
The morning after his arrest he was brought
before the judge His reflections during this
night were not pleasant, and he tortured his
brain as to how he could save himself without
betraying Julia; fer it was impossible to tell
the truth. To avow that he had lent Julia
this money was to avow all; to dishonor her;
her unhappy and infirm husband was now
and forever incapable Of defending his honor.
Lucien, his friend, bis brother; and Hen
riette No; at the price Of his life he would
not tell.
Now, questioned by the judge on every and
all points, he could only say:
81 am not guilty. There is a fatality
against me- / can explain nothing more, as
have already told you all / know. As to
the money l received, / can say nothing.
You must believe what you will.
Il admit for the moment the existence Of
that mysterious debtor, but how is it that
Larouette's money comes into his possessionl
One of you two, then, must be the assassin,
and if you would not pass as his accomplice,
beg you to tell his name"
The insinuation Of the judge struck Roger
like the lash of whip Was Julia the assas-
snl But that idea appeared so absurd to
him that he did not entertain it q minute
And yet she had said to him that last day:
If ever you have misfortune remember
shall have had a hand in it,
any debtor could not have done such
thing any more than I, and it does not con-
Germ you what the name is. I have always
and shall always refuse to give it.
"You destroy yourself
THAT is between me and my conscience
@There is another proof, Of which we have
not heretofore spoken, irrefutabie, terrible
and painful above all othersn
STell it to me. Perha / can refute that
easier than can the others
you were seen at the time you entered
Larouette's house, an instant before the muir
der"
"Who saw thatIs
@Two witnesses; a woman and little
girl
"a woman and a. little grill Bring them,